Lawkart Neckband Scam | CJIs and Senior Advocates “Reviewing” ₹499 Neckbands? Pune Lawyer Reveals the Truth
A Pune-based lawyer has exposed a bizarre case of fake endorsements on an e-commerce website, Lawkart.in, which is selling advocate neckbands at a “discounted” price of ₹499. The same neckband, as the lawyer points out, costs barely ₹20 in court premises.
Lawyer Ankur Jahagirdar shared a post on LinkedIn highlighting that the real issue is not just the overpricing, but the fake reviews posted under the names of top legal personalities — including current and former Chief Justices of India, Supreme Court judges, senior advocates, and even political leaders.
According to Jahagirdar’s post, the website lists reviews allegedly written by Justice SA Bobde, Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice UU Lalit, Justice NV Ramana, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and several others. Each review follows almost the same script, praising the “professional dotted design” and “comfortable material” of the neckband.
For instance, one review attributed to Justice UU Lalit reads:
“Love the professional dotted design and comfortable material. The band was slightly tight initially but overall impressive for maintaining proper advocate dress standards in court.”
Another, supposedly by Justice DY Chandrachud, says:
“The advocate neckband arrived well-packaged and looks exactly like professional legal accessories. The dotted pattern is distinctive, and the quality is suitable for regular court use.”
Even the current Chief Justice of India, Justice BR Gavai, is shown as reviewing the neckband, saying his colleagues “always notice the professional dotted pattern.” Similarly, Justice Surya Kant, who is next in line to be CJI, is quoted commenting on the fabric quality.
What makes it more unbelievable is that some reviews are attributed to deceased legal luminaries like Fali Nariman, Soli Sorabjee, and Ram Jethmalani, posted just a few months ago.
The website also includes reviews under the names of senior advocates such as Harish Salve, Mukul Rohatgi, Kapil Sibal, P. Chidambaram, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Dushyant Dave, and Indira Jaising. Adding to the absurdity, there are even “endorsements” from political figures like Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti.
In his LinkedIn post, Jahagirdar humorously remarked:
“Ahh capitalism! There’s an e-commerce website selling neckbands for ₹499 that cost ₹20 in court. But the fun part is the reviews — written by CJIs, judges, and even those who are no longer alive!”
The post quickly gained traction on social media, sparking discussions among legal professionals and laypersons alike. Many users criticised the unethical use of prominent names to promote a basic legal accessory, while others raised concerns over how easily AI-generated or manipulated reviews could mislead customers.
This incident also highlights a wider issue — the growing problem of fake reviews on Indian e-commerce platforms. Such practices not only deceive buyers but also undermine the credibility of online marketplaces and erode consumer trust.
According to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, publishing fake or misleading reviews can amount to an unfair trade practice. Yet, monitoring and enforcement remain a challenge due to the vast scale of online transactions and user-generated content.
The incident serves as a reminder that authenticity and consumer protection must go hand in hand in the digital marketplace. While humour and irony colour this case, it points to a serious concern about how easily the reputation of respected figures can be misused for marketing.
